


Overture: Hunter's Choice

by B_Radley



Series: Rise and Fight Again [1]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Akul hunt, Gen, Shili, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-02
Updated: 2016-07-02
Packaged: 2018-07-19 16:53:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7370026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/B_Radley/pseuds/B_Radley
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Jedi youngling learns about choices and sacrifice when training for the Hunt on her home planet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Preparation

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Merfilly for pushing me to post this.
> 
> For anyone who has a background in Field Medicine, please excuse the depiction of battlefield surgery. Jedi are taught differently.
> 
> That is my story and I am sticking with it.

The huntress stands apart from the rest of the hunters. Her small frame, of which her all-seeing blue eyes seem to be the biggest component, is clad in traditional attire, just like her fellows. The sash and belt support a carefully and lovingly constructed knife, as well as a homespun hunting skirt. Her bare feet and legs step lightly with nervous energy.

Unlike her fellows, the marks of adolescence have not yet touched her face and frame. She is tiny, but the small body belies a potential for immense power and strength. Her montrals have barely poked through her blue and white head. Her lekku barely touch her shoulders; the central lek is much shorter.

Her self-confidence level, however puts her in the realm of the hunt-masters with their high, inward-turned montrals and waist length lekku. Her wise, knowing eyes watch the hunt organization with humor - tempered with the apprehension of one who is thrust into a role long before her time. Her arms, which could charitably be called "wiry" are crossed over her chest, waiting - waiting to see if she will be called for the Hunt, or if her preparation and study, both on Coruscant and here on Shili, will be for naught.

Her senses, which have been attuned by several years of training in her Order, do not pick up the intense scrutiny of one of those hunt-masters - a mature woman with her own set of wise, knowing eyes - albeit eyes tempered by actual experience. Jedi Shaak Ti, an elder of the hunt at a relatively young age, and a newly selected Jedi Master watches the small huntress in her anticipation. She smiles to herself and nods, as if coming to a decision. She turns to her fellow hunt-masters and beckons to a young human standing at a distance to join them.

The young human, confident and sturdy in his Togruta hunting attire walks to his Master and stands respectfully. She looks at him and gazes into his face.

The human bears her scrutiny with no concern. He probably should have some concern, as she is taking in the too-shaggy hair and unshaven face accompanying his Padawan braid. Her Padawan, in spite of his less-than-disciplined appearance is too serious by far. His level green gaze shows great potential, but she wishes that he would lose the wrinkle between his brows.

He has heavy burdens on his young shoulders - two to be exact. The memory of her two previous Padawans, killed before their apprenticeship ended weighs heavily on him. The drive to succeed and to survive is palpable - and is self-directed. She has no part in his drive and serious nature. If anything, she has been more relaxed in her training regimen - a reaction she is sure to the loss of his predecessors. Looking again at his undisciplined appearance - perhaps too relaxed.

She closes her eyes and silently remembers the two smiling, proud faces before their losses. She opens her eyes and smiles. She beckons to the little one - Tano, to come join the two of them. She can feel the unabashed joy preceding her sprinting arrival in their little group.

The joy is tempered when they each realize who is standing next to the other. Ahsoka Tano, less disciplined in her emotions, rolls her eyes with toxic firmness when she sees the Padawan. Taliesin Croft, with his four extra years of full Padawan learning, stops his eye roll in mid-movement and merely adapts a mildly aggrieved expression on his face.

_Ah, yes. Taliesin Croft - occasional acting Clawmouse clan master. Ahsoka Tano, member of Clawmouse Clan and bane of Croft's existence._

Ti stifles the beginnings of a smirk on her face and merely smiles serenely.

"Young ones," she says clearly. "I am joining you together in the hunt. Taliesin - your experience in the Hunt will guide Ahsoka in her first training track. "

Ahsoka sets her mouth in a straight line. Croft's thunderous expression speaks volumes.

"Alright, I can sense that you both have something to say," she says resignedly. "Spit it out."

Croft starts to open his mouth, but thinks better of it.

Ahsoka, as usual, doesn't think better of speaking. "Master Ti, with all due respect," she starts, "I am sure that Padawan Croft is very skilled and experienced at the Hunt. He is, after all, the only human I know with his own Akul-tooth belt." She looks covetously at the teeth at his waist, the symbol of a successful hunt.

She takes a deep breath and continues, "But I think that he would only slow me down - he is very cautious...."

Ti is about to break in, but Croft does it for her. "Cautious? Just because I like to actually look and think with something other than a lightsaber before I move - that makes me cautious?"

"Well, in a word, yes," the little one snarks.

"Master, you cannot be serious about pairing me with her. She is too young. She is very skilled..."

Did he just complement me?

"... But she needs more training in the hunt." Croft finishes.

Ti holds up her hand and waits for them both to acknowledge her. "You both have very good points as to why you shouldn't be paired together. But all of the points that you have made are the exact reasons that I have paired you together."

She begins to tick the reasons off on her fingers. "Ahsoka, you are young and have a tendency to rush in where fools fear to tread. Croft thinks about his moves - well in advance and quickly. You could temper your youth and enthusiasm with his example. While you usually have good instincts, Croft usually has five ways of accomplishing the task before you even jump."

Ahsoka starts to speak, but finally does think better of it.

The older Togruta continues, "Croft, on the other hand, sometimes overthinks things - where three ways of accomplishing the task would do, he comes up with the full five. Ahsoka could push you to jump even faster than you do."

"I want both of you out of your comfort zones - I want you to challenge and teach each other. If you were both the same and there was no conflict, you might succeed, but neither would learn anything," the Master says.

Both students look at each other. Their expressions match in disaffection.

Ahsoka and Croft start their walk to the hunting fields. All of the Hunters will be looking for a single beast who has terrorized the clanstead, killing several children - including several younger than Ahsoka's twelve years. These facts give the training hunt a deadly serious bent. They both crouch in the dirt and start to plan their route.

"So, Runt," Croft says, seeing the blue eyes narrow, "this is your world. Where would you go if you were an Akul beast that had just gorged himself on unattended children?"

"I would probably find the nearest human and stalk him. They are very high in calories and easy to catch and eat. The cost/benefit ratio is very good, unlike Togruta, who are prickly and hard to eradicate."

"Only because y'all have horns and those don't pass well. That is the most that I have heard you say to me that actually had something serious associated with it since I have known you, Runt," Croft snarks, "Cost/Benefit ratio - I am very impressed."

Ahsoka makes a dismissive gesture. "Just finished my Introduction to Basic Rudimentary Galactic Economics I homework. Cost/benefit is something that I think about every time I have to attend one of your boring lectures on Corellian history."

"Yes, I have often wondered why the snoring coming from the back of the room includes trilling," he retorts.

Croft shakes his head. A serious look crosses his face. "Runt, let's get on with the business at hand,"he says.

"I really wish you wouldn't call me that. In a few years, I am going to be taller than you are. And you ain't exactly a giant example of your species, Gramps."

"Plus, I intend on taking a headdress today. You won't call me that once I am wearing those teeth,"she says, with a hint of pride.

"You will always be a Runt to me. That is why I Force-pushed that other clan master from Bear Clan when he called you that. I am the only one that can get away with using that name." Croft said.

"I thought that you said you didn't see how he fell," she says, an accusatory look in her blue eyes.

Croft changes the subject. "Where's the beast?" he asks with some exasperation.

Ahsoka settles further on her knees. She closes her eyes in concentration. Opens them and looks beyond the horizon. She bites at her lips with her sharp canines. She seems to be a hundred miles away. Croft thinks to himself that this is the most still he has ever seen her. It is as if her entire world is focused on a spot of ground on Shili - that she is connected to that spot of ground.

"There," she says, pointing towards the northern horizon. Croft looks at her, as the other teams seem to be heading in an eastern direction.

"Are you sure? he asks tentatively. "I don't want to question your choice, but everybody else..."

Her eyes flash at him. He holds his hands up in a placating gesture. She calms. Very deliberately, she says. "Everybody else is heading to the logical place for a hungry Akul to stalk - the plains of Shandai. It is rich in food; there are several herds that make those plains their home."

She takes a deep breath, pauses, and continues, "This is not a hungry beast, Croft. This beast has just eaten several good-sized children in a two-day period. He is big, bloated, and looking for a place to hole up that he doesn't have to go very far for food and water. Plus a place that he won't be bothered too much with crowds of beasts."

"The Valley of the Northern Wells has all of that he could wish for," the youngling continues. There are places to rest and hole up from the sun, ample supply of small food and some hidden springs that are not exactly general knowledge."

"Added benefit for us is the food supply. There is a supercolony of themiars in the valley. I can feed on them - in a pinch you can too if you have the horns for it. We can get water from them, too if we need it when we feed."

"This is getting better and better every minute," Croft says with a sour look on his face. "You are wanting us to track a very large and pissed-off beast to a little traveled area where it can hole up and get cornered, so that you have an ample supply of snacks? Do I have this right?"

"Well, yeah."

"Marvelous."

"Croft, don't be such an old guy," she says with exasperation, "we need food and we need to travel light and fast, not get slowed down with a lot of food. Also, he won't be able to resist all those rich, juicy themiars - they'll help slow him down so that even you could take him."

She has a point. As much as he hates to admit it, her plan and thoughts are solid. Even better, it took her about five minutes to come up with the plan, but took an extra ten minutes to convince him - using a thought process that he has to admit, truly impressed him.

_What is it that I am feeling in my chest? That pain? I will never admit, no matter the torture, that it might be a feeling of pride._

He gets over it quickly when her last comment hits him. _Wait, what?_

"Okay, Ahsoka. Let's execute your plan. Remember, you are here to learn, not to worry about bright shiny teeth," he cautions."

"Yes, oh great teacher," she snarks.

 

 


	2. The Journey

The two young hunters start out from the clanstead at a steady run. Ahsoka is pleasantly surprised to note that Croft has no problem with the pace that she has set. As they leave the outskirts of the clanstead, they pass a small group of hunters heading east to the Plains.

Ahsoka recognizes one of the hunters as a true pain in the _shebs_. When she arrived on Shili for training, the poodoo-head had befriended her in the guise of "helping a new huntress."

She soon realized that the hunter, Demmian Fael, only wanted to torment her to build up his own arrogance and conceit. He missed little opportunity to belittle her abilities, her physical appearance, and her size. Most of all, he seemed to fixate on her status as a Jedi.

Of course, the fact that he is sixteen years old and has yet to take teeth, might have something to do with his fixating on her.

As the two groups passed, Fael calls out to Croft and Ahsoka. "Hey, Little Themiar! Hanging out with human scum again? You think just because he somehow got some Akul teeth he can train you? You know he only got those teeth because Ti has an eye for him."

At that, the little huntress turns with fists clenched and eyes flashing blue fire. Croft places his hand gently on her back and says, "Ahsoka, we don't have time for this."

"But...." she starts. He shakes his head. Ahsoka is conscious of his warm hand on her back, as he moves it away. His eyes are emerald steel turned on the older Togruta as she turns back to the path.

Croft's voice is quiet as he replies, "No, little one. This is not a battle we have time to fight."

"There is always time to fight that worthless piece of poodoo," But she turns away.

Fael continues, "Hey human - if Ti can't satisfy you, you could've picked a Togruta less desperate and ugly as a mate."

_Too far._

Croft turns and starts toward Tael. This time it is Ahsoka grabbing him by his belt and placing her hand on his back. "I thought we didn't have time for this, Croft. Let it go," she says with a calm expression.

"Ahsoka, he just basically suggested...," Croft snarls. He pauses. "Nobody says that about my....

This time her eyes flash with anger at him. "I don't need anyone to fight my battles for me when some asshole calls me a name," she says. "I get in trouble all by myself without anyone else's help. Grow up! You're not my knight in shining armor."

His eyes flash and then look down at his feet. Her eyes widen as she thinks about what she just said. She is silent as she pulls him back toward the path.

They continue on towards the Valley, but for the rest of the trip, both of them walk in silence, each trapped by their thoughts.

Finally, Croft can bear it no longer. In a small voice, he asks, "Where did you learn to say words like that?"

"I learned them from my clan-master, where else?"

He ponders this for a moment and finally says, "Well, I am glad that he taught you how to use them properly in a sentence."

XXXXX

They reach the outskirts of the Valley by mid-afternoon. They drink their fill at a watering hole and Ahsoka catches a Themiar within two minutes of their arrival at the hole. The flash of teeth and the high-pitched mournful scream that the little rodent gives off for a microsecond before Ahsoka snaps its neck with her canines is enough to quell Croft's hunger. The creature's blood paints her lips and teeth as she twists it in half and says, " _Halfsies_?" with a raised eyebrow.

Croft looks at the small creature and at the slightly larger fierce creature who is his companion in this hunt. The small creature is still wriggling as Ahsoka holds it out to Croft.

"No, I am full," he says. The fact that she used the term "Halfsies" is even more horrifying to Croft.

"Suit yourself. You don't know what you are missing," she says, popping the other part of the rodent into her mouth.

_Yes, hell, I do._

As soon as she finishes her afternoon snack and washes the blood from her mouth in the spring, she closes her eyes and sniffs the air.

He starts to speak, but she holds her hand up. She takes a deep breath and releases it in the form of a series of trills and sustained notes that rise in pitch and volume. There is silence as she finishes and listens intently, her small montrals pointed to the north.

A carnivore's grin moves across her lips. Croft is fascinated and can't look away. The scene is primal as her smile grows. Her eyes open and he can see the smile reflected in them.

She looks at him, as if she is seeing him for the first time. Both of their breathing is in sync as she speaks.

"I can sense the Old One, Croft," she says, "I am going to go up to the higher ground on the ridge and try to watch for him. I need you to follow the trail and be very quiet. Stay upwind as much as possible. You may have to backtrack."

Croft looks at her. "We are a Togruta hunting party, Runt. We stick together and work as a team. It will take both of us taking the thing together from both sides. At the same time."

She tries not to show her impatience. "Croft, please do not argue, we don't have a lot of time, before he is fully awake. That would be okay, if we had a larger group. With only two, we need to find the thing first. Only then can we work our way to it and attack properly."

He ponders this and finally nods. "Okay, but we need to attack it together - we need to be coordinated. I have done this before." he adds a bit airily.

"Croft, I don't think that we have time," she pleads, "I'll signal you when I am ready and watch for when you are in the best position."

"I have a bad feeling about this," he says.

"It'll be okay, Croft. Trust me."

"Alright, Ahsoka. Be careful and be mindful of your surroundings."

 


	3. Confrontation

_Stay upwind, she says. Just track it,she says. It'll be okay, Croft, Trust me._

_Why do I listen to her? Why did I let her talk me into this?_

_I am a senior Padawan with only a few years before they snip this braid off of me._

_She isn't even an initiate yet._

_/She is smarter than you. More powerful than you. You are just a jumped-up historian with an ability to blend in./_

_Wait a minute! I can't get upwind of the thing in this valley. The wind currents aren't predictable._

_That little brat. Humans are high in calories and easy to catch._

Her plan becomes clear to him. Croft continues his internal litany of complaint as he slowly makes his way through the forest of the valley floor. He stops every few steps to listen and to sniff the air. He tests the wind direction and is satisfied that he remains outside of the cone of smell. He tries to recall what he has learned about the olfactory powers of the mature _Akul_ beast. He has a sneaking suspicion that this one might encourage him to throw everything he knows out the window.

_Akul_ beasts don't generally hunt alone and they generally return to hunt in the same area. All of the children who had been taken were taken from different areas and had somehow been left unattended.

Ahsoka called this one the Old One. Does that imply something special? Something primeval?

He shakes his head to clear it of the superstition.

He comes out of the forest to a very small clearing. He tests the wind again. He realizes that somehow the wind has shifted and that, as he predicted, he is on the wrong side of the wind.

He hears a grunting, snuffling sound coming from a pile of rocks. He smells the beast before he sees it.

_Well, I hope that Runt springs the trap that she has baited - and soon._

He braces himself and looks around for any type of shelter.

_Croft. If you don't want to be Akul-bait, then I guess that you should act like you are the experienced hunter._

His eyes catch up to his nose. He can see the angry eyes of the beast lock onto him. He draws his knife and stands his ground.

_Nice kitty._

_This human isn't as easy to feed on._

He projects calm through the Force, hoping to ease the _Akul_ into not attacking him.

Instead, the _Akul_ lowers its head in preparation for its charge.

His senses in the Force register the creature's mind deciding - deciding to attack him. Within a breath the creature is charging at him - much faster than he could have imagined. As the astromech-sized head reaches him, he jumps and lands on a large rock to his rear. During his leap, when the beast is nearest him, Croft slashes with his knife on the back of the orange neck. The blade pulls a large divot out of the beast's fur, muscle, and skin.

He lands on the rock.

The rock's face collapses under his weight and he slides down to the ground, where the Akul has back pedaled in preparation for another strike.

_Well, shit._

He turns to face his end.Too bad I couldn't bring, say, my lightsaber to this party. He holds his knife firmly and prepares to strike as best he can.

The beast hits him full on in the chest. His chest is compacted against the rock - another example of his bad choice. He can feel his ribs give - no, he can feel them shatter and each piece move to different spot in his chest cavity. Almost immediately, his lips froth with blood and he can feel his lungs seizing up as one collapses. He stands as the beast backs up to charge again. This time its teeth are bared. He can see the scars on the chest and face of the Old One; the missing patches of orange fur.

This is a warrior, he thinks.

His breathing becomes more difficult and shallow as the air is forced from the collapsed lung.  
He stands taller as the last reserves of his energy deplete.

The beast charges. He forces his eyes to remain open.

It allows him to see his salvation. A tiny orange blur diving headfirst onto the beast from the high ridge. The jump or fall had to be Force-enhanced, as the beast is driven back about three meters. The beast rolls on its back, as the blur lifts her knife and plunges it...

...into the exact spot to do the most good. A gout of blood explodes, covering the huntress. She doesn't flinch. The beast is still roiling with anger. The beast swings its front paw and knocks Ahsoka back to Croft's position. Ahsoka stands up and places herself between Croft and the beast.

The little Togruta charges the beast again. Her knife plunges again in the same spot with uncanny accuracy. As she twists the knife, it is jerked out of her hands. She reaches her hand to take hold of it again, but is seized in the front limbs of the Old One and brought to its chest.

Under its jaws.

The wounded beast moves his head down and tries to get a purchase on her head. The huntress uses his move to make her final attack.

Croft sees the blue, white , and orange head plunge toward the wound that her knife has opened. Her hand reaches into the wound and opens it more. A flash of sharp teeth and the huntress is pulling back, dragging a long tube with her in her mouth.. The artery is ripped out of the beast and it falls to the ground. Its twitching stops a moment later.

A look at Ahsoka and he sees something that he will never forget, for as long as he lives. A brilliant smile with sharp canines peeking through a covering of blood. The predatory smile speaks of thousands of years of evolution, to this moment. The bright blue eyes are smiling as well, as she pulls the artery from her teeth and casts it aside.

The smile dims as she jumps up and runs over to Croft. He can smell the blood on her as her eyes widen with concern.

He coughs; his own blood joins the beast's on her. His voice is weak as he coughs. He can feel his ribs piercing his skin and grinding together.

"What kept you, Runt?" he manages.

Her response is lightning fast. "I had to wait on you to get him just where I wanted him," she says.

"Were you awake during your battlefield medicine seminar?"he wheezes.

"Of course I was, Croft. I only slept through your boring lectures," she snarks. "The medical stuff was actually much more useful than an understanding of the Corellian Reformation of the early Republic."

"At least you remember the name," he smirks. "I have a collapsed lung. You know what you need to do."

"Croft, I...."

"No time, little one. I am where I needed to be. Now, go."

She wastes no time. She runs to the small stream and cuts something. She runs back to Croft and cleans some of the blood from his chest. He sees her close her eyes, as if remembering some long-forgotten instruction. She opens the small med-pack and grabs antiseptic wipes. She wipes his chest down and then wipes the small tube that she cut from the reeds. She runs her fingers over his chest; her hands are delightfully cool. She finds what she is looking for and without a deep breath, grabs her knife and cuts into his chest.

She ignores his screams and inserts the tube into his chest and pushes it through the intracostals. For the first time in what seems an eternity, he is able to draw a deep, relatively pain-free breath.

He hears Ahsoka's quiet voice intrude into his pain. "Rest, Croft. I have to get you out of here."

He feels a sense of peace surround him. He can see Ahsoka with tears rolling down her cheeks, as the import of what she has done; to the beast, to him, and for him, hits her.

He reaches up with his thumb and wipes a tear from her cheek; his hand falls to his side.

She closes her eyes and connects with the Force. She moves toward Croft. She spares no backward glance at the dead _Akul_ and its trophies.

 


	4. The Reckoning

Jedi Master Shaak Ti stands in the square ground of the clanstead with several of the clan elders. They watch as groups of hunters return as the sun sets. They all return from the East with hands empty and hearts full, as they expect the coming weeks to be filled with terror for the children of the clanstead.

Ti looks in vain for a small, oddly paired group. All of the other groups are back in the clanstead, as the elders prepare to shut the gates. Once closed, they will not be opened until the sun brightens the grasslands.

She thinks back to her decision to pair the two impetuous children - no - not children...not even young Ahsoka - together in the Hunt. Both of them have shown such potential as Jedi and as hunters. Both of them demonstrate such power in their various disciplines of the Force. Both of them show aptitude for learning from the other - even though their obvious disdain for one another shadows this aptitude.

She thinks of Croft, his easy humor and patience, marked by flashes of anger and frustration - mostly at his own mistakes. She thinks of his ability to get the most from his young charges in the Clawmouse clan - even from young Tano, who takes it upon herself to be the most challenging pupil to him with her snarky humor and her talent for getting under his skin.

Ti smiles to herself when she thinks that most of his teaching stints occur when she has reached her limit of serene patience and sends him off to think about the error of his ways in the training rooms.

She thinks of what she knows about young Ahsoka. She was a newly raised Knight when Master Plo came back with a mission with a tiny bundle of energy and joy in his arms - her talents in the Force already evident. She thought of her first sight of her fellow Togruta - finally asleep on Plo's shoulder after the excitement and adventure of her first few hours as a Jedi. She thinks of Croft's frustrations with her apparently endless energy, questions, and sarcasm. A sarcasm that masks a broad streak of insecurity and lack of confidence in her strong abilities and her power.

She is brought from the past by a sudden disturbance near the gate. The hunters are preparing to close the gate. As the disturbance grows, she feels the flip in the Force as two Force-signatures come into range. Both are weak, but present.

She walks to the gate as crowds of Togruta run and clamber for a view of the strange procession coming into through the gate. She sees a tiny figure - bowed and almost concealed by a larger figure that she carries into the clanstead and to safety.

Shaak can feel the waves of the Force coming off of the girl as she pulls her burden - a larger, unconscious Padawan to the crowds. She is carrying Croft, who is at least a good one hundredweight heavier than she with a combination of her growing physical strength and the Force. Ti can feel that Ahsoka's reserves of strength are flagging.

Not flagging enough to not gently set Croft on the ground, as Togruta healers surround them. Ahsoka is covered in blood; is exhausted, but stands straight under Ti's scrutiny. She looks the elder in the eye.

"I am assuming that you met the _Akul_ on the hunt, little one," the older Togruta says.

"Yes, Master," the girl says calmly. "The Old One will no longer trouble the clanstead or its people."

Shaak raises her brows at that. She looks at Croft's unconscious figure. She turns back to Ahsoka.

"Where is he, little one?" she asks gently.

"Back in the Valley of the Northern Wells, near the first spring," the youngling replies.

"I.." She stops and looks at the ground, her eyes closed. "Croft needed medical attention. He was injured by the beast in the course of the Hunt," Ahsoka explains.

For the first time, Shaak Ti smiles at Ahsoka. "You have made the right choice, little huntress," the elder says. "I am proud of you."

"I don't know, Master Ti. If it wasn't for me, Croft wouldn't be hurt. I...used him," she says in a small voice.

Shaak's eyes remain calm. "Did you force him at knifepoint to be used?"

"No, I just sent him down a path that would've drawn the beast to him," Ahsoka says, her eyes still downcast.

"And then you attacked the beast when it attacked?"the elder asks.

"Yes."

Shaak's gray lips widen into a smile. "Child, do you think that what you know of Taliesin Croft - that he would allow himself to be used, if he didn't think it was the best strategy?"

Ahsoka doesn't answer, but her eyes widen with recognition.

"You both did what you had to, in order to take the beast," Shaak continues. "You both played your part. The true choice that you made - the choice of a Jedi, was to abandon the beast and its teeth to save him. That is the lesson that I would want any youngling to learn and demonstrate."

Ahsoka looks up at her. Shaak touches her on the shoulder. "This lesson will stand you in great stead when you become a Padawan. I sense great potential in you; great power. Croft senses the same thing. It is why he has pushed you harder than your fellows in the clan."

Ahsoka smirks at that, but thinks better of saying what was on her mind.

Another commotion from the gate draws their attention. A group of Togruta enter the gate from the north, dragging a large burden behind them. One Togruta stands on the burden.

Ahsoka realizes that the burden is the Old One. Demmian Fael is standing on top of the corpse, his knife held high. Her shoulders slump and her fists clench.

"I have killed the Old One," he crows. "I claim its teeth."

"That son of a bitch," Ahsoka says aloud.

Shaak looks upon her with amusement. "I can see that my Padawan has had an affect on your vocabulary, little one," she says.

Ahsoka has the good sense to be quiet, but her anger is roiling.

Fael jumps down from the Old One and swaggers to the clan elders. "I have taken this _Akul_ ," he says, "and I claim its teeth."

Ahsoka walks up to where he is standing and looks him square in the eye. She takes a deep breath.

"You are a liar, Demmian Fael," she says. She stands and looks at him. The crowd murmurs.

Fael looks down at her with contempt. "What do you mean, little Themiar?"

"I mean," she says, "that you no more killed that beast than a spoiled Themiar did. I killed it and you know it. You and your cronies went East. That beast came from the North."

"We circled around. I don't see you with an _Akul_ \- just that bantha of a human pretender," Fael says.

Ahsoka can feel Shaak tense behind her.

"That beast has my knife in it," Ahsoka says.

"I don't see it in there, little Themiar."

"Taliesin Croft will attest that we took it," the huntress says fiercely.

"Who will believe a human in this clan over a Togruta?" Fael says, his red skin glowing in his arrogance.

 _Practically everybody_ , Shaak thinks. She opens her mouth to speak, but someone else beats her to it.

"A human who has exactly one more _Akul_ -tooth belt than you, do Fael," a weak voice says from behind Ahsoka and Shaak.

Taliesin Croft stands unaided, his left hand holding his ribs and his right with his knife in it. He walks up to Fael and puts himself between the interloper and Ahsoka and his master. He looks down and winks at Ahsoka.

He speaks to the assembled crowd, "I am Taliesin Croft, a hunter of this clan. I took my _Akul_ -belt in defense of this clanstead and its clan last season. Though I am not of this clan, or even of this people, I am recognized by the elders of the Hunt, am I not?"

He looks at the assembled crowd. He sees many nodding in agreement, including the elders.

"This huntress," he continues, "tracked and killed this beast. She did it alone, while I was injured. She then brought me to the clanstead and saved my life."

"This coward," he says, indicating Fael, "has never been able to bring his own beast in; he has to steal from another."

Fael bristles, but looks at his minions. They are backing away from the Old One and his orbit.

Croft continues. "Ahsoka Tano is a huntress of this clan. She defeated this beast and left her knife in it. I challenge any of these d'kuht's to return her knife to her. If she did not kill the beast, then why is she covered in its blood? Why is this one so clean, with his knife only lightly covered with its blood?"

Croft points his knife at Fael. "I claim Ahsoka Tano as my hunt-sister in the tradition of this clan. I will not fight her battles for her, as she is more than capable of fighting them herself, but I will stand behind her, I will second her when she defeats useless, here, and take on any of his fellows who still stand with him."

Shaak Ti speaks up and says, "I will fight any others behind him."

Fael sputters, but looks less sure of himself. "These Jedi always look after one another. They are..."

An elder walks up to Fael. "Be careful, young one. The Jedi have been allies to this clan for centuries." He takes Fael's knife from him and walks over to Ahsoka. She does not flinch as the elder draws his finger down her face through the blood. He examines Fael's knife.

The elder signals to others. They walk over and take Fael by the arms and lead him away.

The elder looks at Ahsoka and hands her the knife that Fael was waving around. "This is a dishonored blade," he says, "but feel free to use it if you like to claim your teeth."

"Until we can find your blade," he says with a smile.

Ahsoka takes the blade and looks at Croft. She hands him the blade and says, "This should be yours, Croft, not mine. You bled for it."

He smirks at her and declines the blade. "Nope, Runt, these are yours. I already have one. Take your teeth," he says.

She looks at Master Ti. Ti nods and says, "Take your teeth, Ahsoka. Remember what these teeth symbolize. They symbolize the lives that you saved, in the clanstead, and your..."

Ti looks at Croft and smirks. "Your _Baa'je_ ," she finishes.

Ahsoka's eyes widen with surprise. Her own Smirk forms as she looks at Croft. The rest of the assembled crowd laughs as Croft closes his eyes and then looks skyward. He looks at Ti, who continues to smirk.

"Bait?" he says, "Really"

Shaak replaces the smirk with her serene smile, "One who is set out."

Ahsoka looks at Croft and laughs. She brings her arm around his waist to support him, as they walk to the shuttle.

"I like it," she says. " _Baa'je_ , my hunt-brother.

"What is the Togruti word for 'Runt?" he asks.

Shaak Ti watches them walk away. She reflects on how much both of them have grown in the past day. Ahsoka, when her time comes, will be a powerful Padawan, to some lucky Knight. But, she will test that Knight's patience as much as Croft has tested hers.

They both have much further to go in their growth, but both of them have taken large steps on their path - steps that they will need in the coming years, if what Master Yoda feels is coming for the Jedi.

For now, she will let them enjoy their growth and triumph.

 


End file.
